Beautiful Blooms in West Cork: Annette & John

Today's real wedding is a sophisticated affair in a country house overlooking Bantry Bay in stunning West Cork, but if you're imagining faff and formality, don't! Annette and John's stress-free wedding day at Bantry House was all about kicking back with friends and family, and when you look at the photos by White Cat Studio, you can tell that everyone really got to relax! Of course, there are details to fawn over too, including lush pink and burgundy florals that we expect lots of couples to steal for their weddings!

Annette tells us that she met John in Perth in 2007, shortly after she moved to Australia. "I never laughed so much with someone on one night," she remembers. "I was so disappointed when I didn’t get a call or a text the next day but it turns out I gave him the wrong number and had done the same on all my job applications! We were both staying in the Underground Hostel so it didn’t take long until we bumped into each other again!" Well thank goodness they did!

The couple's early dates were varied to say the least! "I told John I never had a Big Mac before, so sure enough for our first date, he brought me to McDonalds - classy! Our next date was at the Opera House!"

Annette and John travelled around Australia together before moving to Ireland. "I’m so happy I met John in Australia and we got to share that experience, we still sit around and talk and laugh about the stories we have and beautiful places and things we’ve seen. We bought our home in Ratoath in 2014 and have been slowly doing it up and trying to see as much of the world as possible!"

John planned to propose at the Iguazú Falls in Argentina, but Annette must have subconsciously known that something was up - she had a dream the night before that John popped the question! "He hates hearing about my dreams so I obviously went into more detail as we were in a car and he couldn’t get away!"

When they arrived at the falls, John once again brought up the subject of Annette's dream. "He asked me, 'Where were we in the dream! Who was there?' And then he said, 'In the dream, was I holding this?' I was so busy looking around at the falls, I didn’t realise what he was saying, until I saw him on his knee with the ring! I was so shocked I couldn’t say anything! Finally I answered, and cried for an hour after that! I can’t remember any of the falls after that moment!"

The couple didn't have to search long for a wedding location - they were both already in love with Annette's home town of Bantry! "My friends and I used to walk around the bay every evening, making up songs and dances as we walked!" she says. "The bay has great memories for me and its one of the things I really miss about home. I brought John up to Bantry House when we first come home from Australia, and it took both our breaths away! John told me after that he wanted to get married there."

Having their ceremony at Bantry House was another easy decision! "I used to go to Bantry House’s forest for cub scouts when I was young," Annette says, "I had my first helicopter hide from there and went to my first classical concert at Bantry House, so it’s always been a place close to my heart. I hadn’t been there for years before I brought John up there and I forgot how stunning it is, both the house and gardens. When I looked out onto the bay, I knew this was the place I wanted to marry him!"

"The ceremony was a big thing for us," Annette explains. "We wanted to make it all about celebrating our relationship and make it quick enough that we didn’t bore our guests! We wanted all the words said to actually mean something to us. We wrote the ceremony ourselves and John’s uncle officiated it." Short and meaningful are the magic words when it comes to ceremonies!

The couple asked their sisters and friend to pick the ceremony readings, and ended up with some unconventional choices! "My sister picked Scaffolding by Seamus Heaney, John’s sister picked Love Isn’t Perfect, and our friend picked All I Need by Method Man and Mary J. Blige. That was class and everyone got a great kick out of it!" It's a risky choice, Annette and John's friend, but we like your style!

Annette and John wanted their day to be formality-free, but at the same time beautiful. "I didn’t want the day to be elegant or fancy, I wanted the day to be very relaxed and fun with lots of attention to detail. We wanted to make sure our guests didn’t have to do anything but relax and enjoy themselves. We got a bus to bring everyone to and from Bantry House - that was great because everyone mingled and had a great singsong, even before the dinner!"

Can we just take a moment to talk about these glorious blooms by Vintage Cut Flowers? "I wanted to show off the wild beauty of West Cork, that’s all I really said to Lydia, my florist, and she got it perfectly. My colours where dusky pink and burgundy, I love the two colours together and for a summer wedding, it was perfect!"

The details were important to Annette and John, but family and friends came first! "All John’s family live in America, I live away from my family also. Having our wedding in Bantry was perfect because most people made a holiday out of it. I got to show everyone my beautiful home that I talk about so much. We loved having everyone around us for the week!"

Naturally, John's American family members were given a real Irish welcome! "My mum arranged for a band to come and play Irish music and my little cousins did Irish dancing and the brush dance for John's family at our rehearsal dinner. They loved it!"

After the drinks reception, the couple and their guests headed to Eccles Hotel for dinner and dancing. "We picked The Eccles because it’s a beautiful little hotel with great food," Annette says. "We knew we could book it out with our guests to make it private and it’s in walking distance of Glengarriff village."

The couple say they loved having friends and family members working on the wedding with them. "John’s cousin did our stationary and calligraphy for our wedding signs. She was fantastic! We put The future Mr and Mrs Cummins' on our return invites and she did up welcome notes for everyone staying in the hotel." Talk about hospitality!

Annette and John's wedding day was full of surprises, some of which even caught the newlyweds off guard! "My brother surprised us and set off fireworks the night of the wedding," Annette says. "My mum asked me to get John and come out to the balcony when I walked into the ballroom the music was off and no one was there - I got such a fright! Then I saw that everyone was out on the balcony and the penny dropped!"

Didn't we tell you the flowers were something special!? And how pretty is this cake? It was made by Annette's sister, Julie!

Annette's advice for couples is to milk the engagement phase for all it's worth! "Take full advantage of every moment of the planning process. Have an engagement party, go away for weekends when looking for your venue, go for dinner before looking at the band, have a night away with your girls when buying your dress. You’re only going to do it once and you want as many great memories as possible!"

She also recommends putting time into finding the best suppliers for your budget. "It saves so much worry when you trust everyone you work with!"

A few months after the wedding, Annette and John jetted off to Dubai and Mauritius. "Dubai is a very futuristic city, everything is so new and pretty, I loved it! Mauritius was beautiful, we went with an all-inclusive package and I’d definitely recommend that, all our water sports were included, which was class! I couldn’t believe how much I relaxed!"

Thanks so much to White Cat Studio for sharing this beautiful wedding, and, of course, to Annette and John for filling us in on all the gorgeous details!